The Whole World in Search of the Dragon

Gui Bin cast a forlorn glance at the takeout he had just ordered. Despite the grumblings of his stomach, his boss's command to drop everything and assemble immediately meant he could only suppress his hunger. He quickly donned his clothes and dashed out the door.

Hailing a taxi by the roadside, he headed straight for the municipal building.

Resting in the back seat of the cab, Gui Bin closed his eyes. Intelligent as he was, the urgent summoning by his usually-absent superior surely had to do with the dragon video he had just watched.

He couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement, although he couldn't be certain of the veracity of the event; it could still be a ruse by the American government. Nevertheless, this might be the closest his department had ever come to a genuine supernatural phenomenon.

He took a deep breath to center himself. Myths and magic, for a young man in his twenties like Gui Bin, still held an allure, cherished fantasies from his youth.

Upon reaching the municipal building, it seemed almost futile to reflect on the pitiful state of his secret department. Without a proper base of operations, their meetings were typically held in some unused room at the municipality where they would discuss the latest 'supernatural fraud' before concluding over a meal.

After showing his ID to the guards, Gui Bin made his way to a secluded meeting room in the government building, a space that had become their makeshift office. However, this time, the usually deserted room was markedly different. He hadn't even reached the meeting room before encountering heavily armed guards. After a thorough check, he was allowed entry.

"There's Gui Bin! Everyone's been waiting for you," greeted him inside.

The room featured a modest round table, surrounded by a few individuals besides his superior, Mr. Si—a portly, balding man in his forties—and his colleagues. Including Gui Bin and his boss, their department consisted of a mere five people—a testament to its dire state.

"Director, you—"

Gui Bin started to object to the diminutive nickname, but froze mid-sentence, astonished by the figure seated at the head of the table.

As an employee under the Ministry of National Defense, Gui Bin immediately recognized the venerable old man—the Minister of National Defense himself, a frequent figure on national broadcasts.

"Minister, sir!"

Gui Bin straightened up and offered a salute, albeit an awkward one, seeing as he was not a soldier.

"Relax, Comrade Gui Bin. Please, have a seat. I'm here to familiarize myself with your department. You're the last to arrive, and now I've met everyone," the Minister said, inviting Gui Bin to sit with a warm gesture.

As Gui Bin seated himself, the Minister stood, offered a smile, and spoke to Director Si, "I've met with your team as planned. The next steps are up to you to communicate to them."

"Yes, Minister! We guarantee to fulfill our duties," Director Si stood and saluted with precision.

Pleased, the Minister nodded in approval, patted Gui Bin's shoulder, leaving him bewildered and honored, then departed with the guards.

Once the Minister had left, the tension in the room dissipated. Gui Bin's colleagues began to chatter; they were accustomed to a lack of formality with their leadership.

"Alright, everyone, quiet down," Director Si clapped his hands, and the room fell silent, all eyes on him with eager anticipation.

"First, I have good news. Everyone here, including myself, has been promoted two ranks," he announced with pride, as if his long-held aspirations were finally realized.

"Boss, does that mean a pay raise?"

"Of course, it does!" Director Si retorted, silencing his subordinate with a glare.

"And there's no need to call me Director anymore. We're now known as Emergency Special Disaster Unit Nine. From now on, I'm the 'Group Leader.' We also have a new office, no longer borrowing rooms at the municipality. We're moving to the Bayi Building."

A murmur of excitement echoed through the room. They all knew the Bayi Building—the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense. Working there meant finally being recognized and entering the core of the establishment.

"Calm down, everyone. Our benefits will be unmatched. The authorities will assign us guards and provide resources in all areas, leveraging our unique experience," Group Leader Si paused, his face turning somber. "You all know what's happened, don't you?"

Heads nodded, gravity settling over the room. The incident captured in the video was too big to go unnoticed, and they understood their small department was only one of many responding.

"The experts have checked the video, and there's no sign of editing. It's likely genuine," he said, prompting a collective intake of breath, a mix of excitement and anticipation.

The implications were staggering—dragons existed, magic was real, and perhaps so were all the legends and myths.

"Before we discuss further, sign this new confidentiality agreement," Group Leader Si handed out a stack of papers.

Having worked for the Ministry of National Defense, they were familiar with such agreements, but knew the revised version would be more stringent.

"Be warned, any breach of this contract will be tried as 'leaking state secrets' in a military court," he warned gravely.

Without hesitation, his team quickly signed. This was a rare chance to touch the world's hidden truths—they couldn't let it slip by.

"Now that the agreements are signed, take a look at these photos," Group Leader Si switched on the projector, displaying images from a Brazilian team—American soldiers in biohazard suits, helicopters, tanks searching the Amazon, and a secured safe being loaded onto a chopper.

"These satellite images from our military show a clear trail over a hundred kilometers in the Amazon, like a heavy tank rolled through. A US military squad engaged with a large creature there. It's over 90% certain that the video circulating online is authentic!" he revealed, as everyone watched, rapt and breathless.

"Group Leader, the safe guarded by the US military probably contains remains of the dragon!" Gui Bin interjected.

"Precisely, and that's what our superiors suspect. But only America has the full intelligence. They might have beaten us to something far more significant," Group Leader Si inhaled deeply from his cigarette, smoke curling around him.

"Other nations are likely doing the same as us. We've joined forces with Russia, the EU, Japan, and other international powers to pressure the US government for full disclosure of information," he said.

Gui Bin found this reasonable. Even America's allies might oppose them if supernatural secrets were at stake. A united front could force the superpower to share its intelligence.

"Our nation's economy has soared over the past thirty years; we're the world's second-largest economy now. Yet we still lack political clout. This incident gives us an opportunity to ally with other powers, even US allies, to confront them and increase our voice on the international stage... perhaps even lead the coalition. It's a rare chance we cannot miss. I believe that's what our superiors are banking on. Regardless of the outcome, it's to our advantage," Group Leader Si explained, and Gui Bin looked at his usually lackadaisical leader with newfound respect.

"Everyone, get ready for busier days. Our days of leisure are over. This afternoon, report to our new workplace. If this matter is true, if it's not an American hoax, then the world is about to change profoundly," he said solemnly, each word resonant with import.

...

Governments around the world were mobilizing, establishing new departments, and redirecting satellites to locate the vanished dragon. And at the heart of it all, Drake floated in the Pacific, once again invoking the Crown of Dominion's spell—"Dominate Humanity."